Over the Limit
by Charlie Grayson
Summary: There was the laughter, booming over the speakers of the massive room. He felt pain radiating off of him, and he still had work to do. He couldn't, but he had to. He'd been pushed to his limit. Robin's never been one to quit, but will he give up, or cross the line between good and evil to save everything he holds dear? Set before Season 2. Part One of my Madhouse Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

10:17. The red numbers glowed through the dimly lit room, burning a hole in the back of his eyelids. Every time he closed his eyes, there they were, reminding him how much time he had to finish.

'I can't do it.' He thought to himself. Every corner brought another surprise, and the fear that he'd find another friend, struggling to cling into the last pieces of life they had left. But he couldn't quit. He couldn't give up. Too much relied on him already.

He heard screaming, erupting from dry throats in various places in the maize. They shattered his ear drums, pulling at the strings of his heart. They were his friends. He reached for his utility belt, out of habit. Then that terrible cackle filled the atmosphere.

"Don't you dare, Bird Boy! You wouldn't want to cheat!" the evil voice filled his heart with hatred, every bone in his body had to restrain from screaming in pain as he continued sprinting through the maize. "If you cheat, one of your little friends will meet their doom!"

"I'm going to kill you some day, Joker!" Robin screamed, although his voice was raspy and out of breath. His lungs burned, trying to fill his body with oxygen as he maneuvered around the several corners.

"Threats won't get you anywhere, little birdy!" And with that, the laughter faded away until a click silenced the room again, but that didn't last very long. Soon, all he heard were various, familiar voices, screaming his name.

9:47. _I can't do it. _He thought to himself. _I can't save them all in time! _But then he rounded a corner. **"NOOOO!" **

*****FLASHBACK*

"Team, this is a more dangerous mission." Batman's monotone voice rang throughout the cave, hiding some emotion. The big, bad Batman wasn't supposed to have emotions, especially not worry or nervousness. "But Black Canary assures me that you're all ready."

"I believe we are." Aqua Lad said.

"Joker has escaped from Arkham,-"

"Again?" Wally asked in shock. That earned him a glare that could've killed him easily. Batman's little white slits narrowed in anger.

"Yes, Kid Flash. Again. The League would deal with him, but Black Canary insists that this would be a perfect opportunity for you to prove yourself." He hid regret behind his cowl and stone cold demeanor. "You are to track him down. Do not engage. This is strictly a COVERT mission. " he glared at Wally immediately, as if to say 'Don't screw this up.'

Robin pulled up his holographic computer in his glove, tracking all robberies that were similar to Joker's usual. "He's still in Gotham!" the Boy Wonder announced, seemingly proud.

"Good." Batman's boring voice set back the thirteen year old boy. "Set out and find him." Batman barked, even angrier than usual.

*LATER THAT NIGHT*

Aqua Lad ordered M'gann to park the bioship on the top of an old, abandoned warehouse.

"Team, in order to find the Joker faster, we will split into smaller teams." Aqua Lad announced. "Robin and Kid, Artemis and M'gann, and Super Boy will go with me." As the team separated, Aqua Lad seemed to doubt his decision. "You have your orders. Report back immediately if you find Joker, or if something goes wrong."

_Everyone on? _Mg'ann asked telepathically.

_No mind link this time. _Aqua Lad thought back. _Too long of time, and too much distance. _The Martian girl nodded and the teams of two went their separate ways.

However, it didn't take long for trouble to show up. Obviously, they'd been expected to arrive. Robin was leading KF down an alley, when suddenly a large crashing sound made him stop. He immediately jumped to the shadows where he knew it was safe. Looking out through his domino mask, he saw KF's unconscious body lying on the ground, a black figure with a crow bar standing above him.

"Come on, Boy Blunder!" The man growled, his voice was gruff and spewing venom with every sound he muttered. "I haven't got all night to get you stupid kids!" He began walking down the alley slowly, kicking Wally's body out of the way, a small grunt escaping the boy, slapping the crow bar to his palm.

Robin prepared a few bat-a-rangs, knowing if he threw them his covere would be blown. But he did anyway, throwing them one at a time. The small devices began rapidly beeping until they exploded. The man was thrown around, eventually falling to the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Taking his opportunity, Robin rushed to KF's side, shaking his body rapidly. "KF!" he whispered, angst rising in his voice. "Get up man, we need to go!" He was nearly screaming now. Kid moaned in pain, his eye lids fluttering open. His eyes moved up, slightly tilting his head back.

"Rob….. Be…. Behi…." Then his head collapsed again on his outstretched arm. Just as Robin tried again to wake him up, he felt the crow bar slam against the back of his head. He felt blood rushing to his head, and fell down, his body collapsing on Kid Flash's unconscious body.

He looked up slightly, groaning in pain. He felt warm blood trickling down his forehead, dripping off the tip of his nose. He slowly reached towards his head, but he never made it. The last thing he saw was the crooked smile of a dark figure, as he swung the crow bar down again.

**Thanks for reading (: I know it's really bad, give me some slack though it's my very first ff story. Review honestly? **

**OH! And I do not own Young Justice or anything like that. That's why its called Fan Fiction. Derp. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I finished within a few days… :) ha I have no life. Anyway, here's chapter 2. It kind of flowed from the ending of Chapter 1, which wasn't that good but it's the beginning. I don't know how long it's going to be yet, but there's still plenty of story left. **

**Oh, and I do not own Young Justice or Justice League. If I did I would so not be on FanFiction, I'd be writing the actual shows. (: **

**Bat-Cave**

"Robin!" Batman slammed his fist down on the table, his other hand trying to adjust his comm link in order to contact his adoptive son. Then, he changed it yet again.

"Batman to Flash, come in." he said, his voice a monotone and struggling to keep it that way.

"Flash here, what's up, Batsy?" Flash joked, trying to get under Batman's skin. As usual, he was successful.

"Have you spoken to Kid Flash recently?" Batman asked, letting the slightest hint of hope wiggle its way into his voice.

"No… I thought you were watching them at the cave?" Flash's voice began to shake with dread. He knew where this was headed.

Without replying to the worried speedster, Batman began radioing all the other team members. "Come in Aqua Lad." No response.

"Artemis?" nothing there either.

"Superboy?" No response.

"M'gann!" It was no longer a question, it had become an uncontrolled surge of emotion. For once, the Dark Knight didn't know what to do. He'd lost his whole team, his friends' children, his own protégé. He could feel his judgment cloud with anger, worry, and fear.

"Flash to Batman, come in." Worry seeped through every word of Flash's voice, and even over the comm link, Batman could easily hear it.

"I'm here Flash, have you heard from the kids?" Batman said, clearing the worry and anger from his voice.

"No! I've barely heard anything from you. I'd like to know what the hell is going on!" Flash's words dripped with anger at his own lack of knowledge. Little did he know, Batman felt exactly the same. "Bruce, where is my nephew?"

Silence. Batman couldn't bring himself to answer. No. Batman would've been able to answer. Batman had no emotions, he didn't lie or avoid the truth. Bruce Wayne, however, couldn't answer. He couldn't utter the words that would make it all so real, the words that would literally tear up his friend.

"Bruce?" Flash said, his voice edging with uneasiness.

"They were taken." Bruce said shortly. Even Flash could tell the big, bad Batman was upset. The silence over the comm link was long, as both thoughts swirled through both hero's minds.

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Only eight minutes left! Can you do it? I don't think so." Joker's evil voice turned from mock tragedy to hysterical evil, taunting Robin as he struggled to help KF.

He had rounded the corner, only to see Kid Flash in a glass pod. He held his red-gloved hands to his throat, his face a bright red color. There was a note taped to the glass.

_What's red and yellow and dead? Your friend if you don't get him out soon!_ Robin's eyes twitched across the page, wishing Joker would suffer for every sick letter he'd written. The letters were messy, and red. Everything was red.

KF frantically knocked on the glass, his emerald eyes widening, nearly popping out of his little red head. He weakly punched the glass, then kicked it. Little beads of sweat popped up at the rims of his mask.

Robin used all his force, ramming the glass box with his shoulder. He heard two cracks as the glass shattered. The other he knew when he felt the searing pain run down his arm. Kid gasped, desperate to fill his burning lungs with air again. Robin's eyes remained hidden, but behind the domino mask he looked down at his best friend, pleading him on so they could continue.

"Ready?" his voice was stone cold, not like usual Robin, the Robin who was lighthearted and immature. No, this was a Robin Wally had never seen before. But there wasn't time to joke around like the normal Robin would. The red numbers continued to glow as they counted backwards. 6:37.

_*****Flashback*****_

They say you can't feel anything when you're unconscious, but Robin definitely felt something. Pain. There was so much pain. It surrounded him, as if he was in a dark room, and the pain engulfed him like the darkness did. No matter what he could do, he only felt more pain.

He looked for anything, anything that could take him away from this pain. But he never found it. He never got the chance.

"Wake-y, wake-y, bird boy!" an evil female voice said. "Mr. J is ready to see you now!" his eyes fluttered open slowly. For a moment, he thought he was in his room, back at Wayne Manner. But then he felt the extreme pain in his head, and his left eye.

"You sure were out for a long time, little birdie!" Harley Quinn stood before him, that big dumb grin plastered on her face. "Mr. J has been waiting, but he hasn't been bored!" she seemed thrilled.

Robin took in his surroundings, just like Batman had taught him to do. The room was dark, big, and empty. The floors were concrete, little drops of blood scattered everywhere. There were several doors, all were shut. He was tied to a desk chair, one that was old and could've been used in an office at one time. He began struggling against his leather restraints.

Harley laughed at his struggles, as if it were just one big joke. Just then, a scream sounded through the whole building. It was filled with pain, and sounded familiar, but Robin refused to believe what he was thinking.

"Speaking of," Harley said, as if she'd just remembered something charming. "Sounds like puddin' is playing another game with your friend!" she walked off, entering one of the many rooms.

_Two doors left of the east hallway,_ Robin thought. He quickly memorized it as her form appeared in the room's door.

She came merrily skipping back out, an even bigger grin on her face. "C'mon!" she said, a little too excited for Robin's taste. "We're going to play a game!"

She ran around behind Robin's chair, pushing it on its wheels towards the door which was still open. His heart dreaded what he would see.

_No, God, no! _he thought. _Please don't make me go in there and see what Joker's done to Wally!_ But the chair sped forward, rounding the corner into the room.

He saw Wally, not Kid Flash, sitting in a chair, just like his. His head had fallen back as if he was unconscious. But his groans of pain were clear signs that he was awake. Blood trickled out of his mouth, down to his chin. His eyes, although closed, had bloody tears streaming out of them. On his chest, his Kid Flash suit was ripped open, revealing a smiley face carved deep into his flesh, and little silver wires inserted in various places all over his body.

Robin's chest tightened as well as his jaw. His fists clenched around the arms of the office chair he sat in. He began to breathe heavily, anger pulsing through him like an electrical current. Standing across the room from him was Joker, holding a remote and leaning on a bloody crow bar.

There it was; that maniacal laughter that hunted his worst nightmares. "What's the matter, kiddo? Don't like seeing your friend in pain?" he continued laughing, along with Harley who joined in. "Don't worry. Harley, fix him up while I play with Boy Blunder!"

Robin wanted to punch his face until he finally stopped grinning. Harley inserted a needle into KF's chest, injecting a purple liquid into him while yanking out the metal wires viciously, causing a groan of pain from the nearly unconscious speedster.

"God damnit, Joker!" Robin screamed, his voice strained as he struggled against the leather straps some more. He felt blood trickling down his wrists, but he didn't care. At this point, he didn't care about anything except his friend dying before his crystal blue eyes.

Joker laughed as he watched the great Boy Wonder struggle against his restraints. He finally had the small boy in the palm of his hand, meaning he had Batman in the palm of his hand. "Don't worry, bird boy! Our fun has yet to begin."

"Let him go!" Robin pleaded. "You're going to kill him!"

"Nurse Harley will whip him back into shape." Joker nodded towards Harley, who smiled evilly towards the tied up thirteen year old boy. "Oh, and Harley put that stupid mask back on! I don't know who he is anyway." Joker laughed at Robin's look of disgust. "We need all your friends in good shape for the game later!"

"You sick bastard!" Robin paused, had Joker said _all_ his friends?

**Thanks for reading guys! Honest reviews please? I'd like to know what I could improve on! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow! An update! Apparently it's a miracle! Haha, sorry about the wait guys, but you can thank math, science, and English homework for that :/ I hate school.**

**Anyways, yeah I had the stupid update saved on my computer for like a week or two now. It's actually updating that keeps getting me :) **

**However, if you review with anything from positive comments to constructive criticism, I would probably update faster. Thanks to everyone who had reviewed, it literally makes my day to come home and see a review. Not trying to bribe you or guilt trip you or anything, but I really love reviews :D Just putting that out there.**

**Anyway, I'm rambling again. I need to learn to stop doing that. Here's your update. Please review! **

**Oh, and just because this update is a miracle, doesn't mean I magically own Young Justice, Justice League, or DC comics or anything like that. Sad, yes. But true. :( **

_**Flashback…**_

"You sick bastard!" Robin paused, had Joker said _all_ his friends?

"Mind your manners!" Joker said mockingly. "You're my guest, after all."

"If you don't like my manners I'd be more than happy to leave and come back later." Robin sneered. His anger was etched deep into his face, crystal clear and delighting the Joker.

"You can leave, but for every hour you're not here, I will," he paused like he was trying to add effect "KILL one of your friends!" he put extra emphasis on that one word, or maybe that was Robin's imagination emphasizing the dreadful word. He didn't know anymore. He knew it wasn't his imagination when Joker started laughing at the look of horror and disgust on Robin's face.

"No?" he paused, waiting for the reply that never came. "Well then let the games begin." Joker smiled his twisted, evil smile as Harley shut the door behind her.

"What are you going to do?" Robin asked, slightly revealing his fear that he'd bottled up in the pit of his stomach.

Joker turned around, ignoring Robin's question. He began humming a cheery tune, only worsening Robin's fears. He grabbed a syringe, much like the one Harley had injected Wally with, except filled with green liquid.

"What's that?" Robin nearly screamed as Joker neared him with the needle.

"It's just a little something to keep you wide awake during out game!" Joker smiled, as if thinking of all the wonderful things that were going to happen soon.

He grabbed a knife, walking over to Robin slowly, painfully. He smiled his crooked smile, as he raised the knife to Robin's chest. He traced the 'R' on his uniform, just enough to sting but not cut. Then he ripped open the chest of his costume, right down the middle.

Robin flinched, clearly to the Joker's delight. "Hmmm, what should I carve into Bat-boy?" Joker thought aloud, trying to frighten the young hero. It worked.

_No. Everything will be okay! _Robin thought to himself. _Batman will come, the League will come, Joker will go back to Arkham. _

Even as he thought this, his sapphire eyes widened behind the domino mask in a mix of fear and horror. Joker thoughtfully tapped the knife to his chin, racking his brain on what to write in the boy's chest. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as the perfect idea popped into his head.

He lightly touched Robin's chest with the knife, and for a moment, Robin looked up at that creamy white face. He regretted it almost instantly. The smile distracted him while the pressure slowly built until the knife was deep in his flesh and muscle. Joker stuck out his tongue in concentration, moving the knife up, down, left, and right across Robin's chest.

Robin bit his lip, trying his hardest to restrain from screaming out in pain. He felt hot blood ooze into his mouth, as the taste of copper filled his senses. As the blade continued slicing his skin, it became harder to restrain his cries of pain. The extreme pressure on his lower lip didn't help as much as he'd hoped it would.

"Like what you see, wonder boy?" Joker laughed slightly as he held up a small mirror. Robin looked in disgust at the bloody wound on his chest. Two terrifying letters dripped blood down his torso, mocking him. _**Ha. **_

"Well," Joker started. "Now that that's done, we can begin the real fun!" he began jabbing the little metal wires that had been lodged in Wally's chest into Robin. He walked back over to his little table holding all his tools of torture and grabbed a small black remote.

"Now, here are the rules!" Joker jumped slightly, as if he was extremely giddy. "I can either take the mask off now and try to guess who you are, the not-so-fun option," he frowned at this option. "Or, I could ask you a bunch of questions and try to guess that way!" he smiled, awaiting Robin's response.

Robin thought, knowing that no matter what choice he chose it would come back to bite him in the ass later. He picked the obvious choice. "You're not taking the mask off." He said sternly. He was starting to act like Batman.

"That's exactly what Flash Boy said!" Joker frowned. "But don't worry! This is my favorite choice anyway." He acted as if they were choosing a board game to play instead of the torture methods. He held up the little black remote, preparing to press the button.

"So, _Robin_," he put a strange accent on the name, as if it tasted bad to _not_ call him some stupid nickname. "Do you have a big family?"

Robin couldn't help his slight flinch at the word 'family'. _I don't have any family.._ he thought to himself. He quickly pushed the thought to the back of his head, knowing what the psychopath was trying to do.

Without a response, Joker's thumb pressed down on the little red button. Little orange sparks began to fly from the wires, electricity surging through his body. He shook and trembled, trying to stay still but hopelessly failing.

_Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream! _He thought. However, that didn't last long as an agonized cry escaped from his lips. His nails dug into the arms of the chair, and for the first time he noticed that he wasn't wearing his gloves. He slightly heard a girl's faint voice calling his name. The electricity stopped and Robin took his opportunity to catch his breath, knowing he wouldn't get another any time soon.

_**Now…**_

"KF! Hurry the hell up!" Robin shouted back at him.

"Sorry, am I not limping fast enough for you?" Kid Flash snapped back as he struggled to keep up with the Boy Wonder. It really was a wonder Robin was still moving so swiftly. Kid babied his left leg, as bone nearly ripped through flesh. Robin was lucky KF could stand, let alone walk.

"We don't have time for this!" Robin shouted, not bothering to turn and look at his friend. Kid Flash had never heard his voice sound this panicked. He glanced up at the clock. 5:57. _Oh. That's why._ He thought to himself.

"We have gotten everyone but Zatanna, and this maize is huge! We only have **so **much time!" he urged Kid Flash on as gently as he could.

Although Kid Flash wished he could believe Robin, he knew he was lying. He knew one of his team mates had been killed. He had heard that evil laughter and mocking voice, announcing that someone couldn't be saved. He wished with every last bit of energy he could believe Robin, but he knew better.

They rounded the corner, praying they'd find their last team mate. But with no sight of the young magician, they were forced to keep going. Robin's heavy breathing was all KF could hear and the silence was killing him. He didn't want to think about Robin's injuries, which were probably much more severe than his own.

"I found her!" he screamed, rushing over to a small pool dug into the ground. It was more of a water-filled pit with a dome of bars surrounding it, like the lion's cage at the zoo. Inside, Zatanna hung upside down with her hands behind her back and her mouth duct taped shut. She was slowly being lowered into the small pond, which was swimming with alligators snapping viciously at the food hanging in front of their noses.

Somehow, Robin contained himself long enough to read the note, just like he had at all the other death traps. The letters were sloppy, and red. He knew what liquid had been used to write the notes, but he couldn't think about that right now.

"Bippity boppity boo! Someone's going to make nice alligator food!" He read aloud, his voice surprisingly calm.

Anger pulsed through the young hero's veins, acting as adrenaline as he crumpled the note beneath his ungloved hands. He jumped on the bars and started climbing. That's when KF got a better look at his injuries.

He had a twisted ankle, it hung limply in his skin, dislocated from the rest of his leg. He also wasn't wearing shoes, revealing that both his hands and feet were smeared with blood from all his friends, plus his own. His cape was nearly gone, only shreds clinging to the boy's bare neck. His shirt was nearly missing, much like KF's, revealing a scar on his chest. However, the boy's body was facing the other way, making the scar unreadable.

He was now at the top, pulling Zatanna up. She struggled to help him pull her up, although she knew her struggles were pointless. She screamed beneath the duct tape. Tears welled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. As she finally reached Robin, he un-taped her mouth and untied her hands after he lifted her through the bars.

She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing into his injured body. She, however, had certainly not escaped injury. She wore no shoes, and a tattered tank top and pair of shorts. She had scratches and bruises and burn marks all over her olive skin.

"C'mon." he simply stated. His voice was as emotionless as Batman's. It sent fear down Kid Flash's aching spine. "We don't have much time. And we have to get the other's and get the hell out of here."

"Where are the others?" she asked, her voice trembling as she pried her shaking body away from Robin's.

"I left them to take care of Artemis. She was extremely injured." Although hope that a small smirk accompanied by a smart ass remark would cross his lips, none came. Joker must have done something, triggered something inside of Robin. Wally had never seen his friend so… stoic.

Together, both of them jumped down from on top of the cage and landed safely next to Wally. Although his mask was on as was his brave face, he was definitely not Kid Flash right now. Kid Flash was a hero, a brave hero. And right now, he was utterly terrified.


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so sorry that this update has taken so long. Thanks for all the reviews, but I haven't really been on in a while. I've been pretty busy. But yes, and has anyone else heard they are making Robin look like Tim instead of Dick in Invasion? **

**Better question: Is anyone else pissed they might consider such a thing? **

**I also heard Batgirl is finally making an appearance. Which almost makes up for it. Just saying, I'm not one of those people who looks at spoilers or anything, but I have been reading the Ask Greg blog (if you don't know what I'm talking about you should really look it up) and people have been asking about the new costumes and all that. Just putting that into your heads. **

**I'm kind of rambling so I'll get on with it. **

**Please Review, maybe I'll update faster. I probably will actually. Plus I've been having bad days lately, and reviews make my day. Put a smile on my face, I dare you.**

**Second, I don't own Young Justice. I didn't magically obtain the rights, and I probably never will. (I just mentally stabbed myself D: )**

**So here it is, Chapter 4. **

Together, the three teens rushed back to where the others were. By now, they only had about two minutes. Robin reached to his utility belt, pulling out his grappling gun.

"Ah, ah! Bird boy wouldn't want his last team mate to perish would he?" Joker's aggravating voice came over the speakers yet again. Robin ignored him, firing his gun up at the roof.

"I've saved everyone, Joker!" He shouted, flying through the air with Zatanna in his arms. He heard Wally's distraught should of, "Dude!" but he ignored that too.

"Not everyone, Boy Blunder." The Joker said slyly. Then Robin saw them; his last two remaining team mates. He saw the two dark capes, the matching insignias, but soon they were out of sight as he swung through the air, out of veiwing range.

His sharp intake of breath nearly caused him to drop Zatanna. Fortunately, she was able to cling to his bloody, sore body.

He landed, collapsing as he had not seen the landing coming. Zatanna fell on top of him, a wince of pain escaping her. The rest of the team, save for Wally, looked down at the two. Zatanna couldn't help but notice someone was missing. But that was currently the last thing on her mind as she tried to stop not only her own bleeding, but Robin's also.

He heard them asking about who it was, hoping it was their missing team mate. _Who did Joker still have? Who did you see? Have you figured it out yet? _Robin couldn't tell if it was his thoughts or his team mates asking the questions. He heard Wally shouting for him to come back in the distance.

Then he heard the scream.

Suddenly all was silent. Everything was quiet, as everyone tried to guess who it was. It sounded nothing like their missing team mate, perhaps Robin's mother? Their stares began to fall as they contemplated the possibilities. Only Wally knew who it really was.

Laughter filled the air; cruel, sick, deafening laughter. "Don't worry, bird boy!" he said in between laughs. "You can still save them!"

Robin almost didn't believe him. He wanted so bad to find the Joker and strangle him. He wanted to wipe that stupid grin off his face. Joker wouldn't be laughing if he couldn't breath. He wanted to make sure the villain never hurt anyone again.

_But I'm a hero, not a killer._

"The game can't end here, Wonder Boy! Where would be the fun in that?" his sick, aggrevating voice echoed through the almost empty room.

Another cry enveloped the room, from that same voice. Robin cringed at the high pitched shriek that slowly morphed into a word. It bounced off the walls, making it even harder to pin point it's location.

"**ROBIN!" **Everyone began looking around, frightened. They barely noticed when Robin got up and wordlessly began limping through the maize, back the way he'd come.

"Robin," M'gann began. "Where are you going?" Her voice was drenched with worry, stopping the young boy in his tracks. She had never sensed such emotions rolling off of him; anger, rage, fury, but mostly worry and guilt.

"I'm going to find Batgirl." He said simply, clenching his bloody fists.

**Okay I know it's short, but again I've been pretty busy. Review. I beg of you! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok I guess I was wrong about the whole Dick looking like Tim thing. My bad. But yeah thanks for being patient. Bear with me, school's almost out! :D YAY! So I will have way more free time with summer break and probably be updating WAY faster. **

**Anyway, I got a review that said it was confusing how I switch back and forth from present to flashbacks all the time, so this entire chapter will just be a flashback. Yes I know you want to know what happened in the maize, and who died, and if Robin saves Batgirl, but just calm down. I won't leave ya hanging. Promise. **

**Anyway, I also thought I should inform you of my sudden rights to everything I'm writing. I totally own Young Justice, and DC Comics now. *sarcasm* :'(**

Robin bit his lip, fighting back the tears. He'd managed to stay in here for at least an hour without letting Joker remove his mask. The torture had been extensively painful. He was, honestly, a sickening sight.

Despite his condition, he couldn't suppress a smirk and smart ass remark every time Joker spoke. Harley had come in earlier and removed him from his chair while he was passed out. He now hung from a hook in the ceiling by the binds on his wrists, just inches away from the ground.

His ankle was severely broken, his foot hanging loosely in his skin. Blood dripped down from his body, adding to the huge amount of blood on the floor.

_Most of it's not even mine. _He thought. But he quickly shook his head. He couldn't afford to think like that. Not now. He had watched Joker fill a vile of his blood and place it in his pocket, but he didn't care. There was so much pain, and he knew it was far from over.

_Batman will come. He'll save us all._ Robin kept thinking, but every hour, Joker reminded him that he was alone, and Batman wasn't here to save him.

"_I bet he's not even looking for you Bird Boy." _Joker had said between his bubbling laughter. _"I'll bet he's too busy looking for a new sidekick." _

"_PROTÉGÉ!"_ Robin had screamed. He laughed slightly. He was still too stubborn to give in to Joker.

"I'm back, Robbie!" Joker shouted, flinging open the heavy metal door and strolling in.

"Good, I missed you." Robin said sarcastically, rolling his eyes bitterly.

"Oh I know!" If Joker had picked up the sarcasm, he didn't show it. "But don't worry, I'm back now! And I've brought some of your little friends!" Robin jerked his head up, only to see the shocking truth.

Behind him, Joker strung Zatanna and Super Boy. Both were bound by the wrists, looking as though their spirits had broken just as much as their bones.

Super Boy had a large chunk of kryptonite duct taped under his chair. He had a small stream of blood leaking out his mouth, and he looked incredibly furious. Both his arms had bruises in the same place, and his shirt was ripped open. But then again, when wasn't it? On his chest, a bloody cut in the shape of the "s" shield starred the boy wonder in the face. He had large, dark circles under his eyes, which were blood shot; from the kryptonite no doubt.

Zatanna looked more or less uninjured, although she had several bruises and cuts scattered across her body. Her palms had bled through where she had clenched her fists, and her lip had a bloody bit mark on it. Her eyes were glazed over in pure fear.

"Now we can play a group game! Later though, I'll let you kids catch up." He stalked out the door as Harley took Robin down from the ceiling and secured him to his chair again. She lightly touched his face, feigning kindness and comfort. Then she brought her hand up and roughly slapped him across the face before laughing and skipping joyously out the door after Joker.

"R-Robin?" Super Boy mumbled through half-lidded eyes. He was slipping in and out of consciousness. His head slumped forward, then rolled around on his neck and fell backwards.

"SB don't fall asleep! You could slip into a coma!" Robin said, struggling against his restraints. He stopped though, realizing it was useless and that he should save his energy. His warning had also proven useless because Super Boy was now unconscious and struggling to breathe.

"Robin," Zatanna said. Robin had almost forgotten her presence. "What did he do to you?" The Boy Wonder gazed down at his own body. He had completely forgotten about it.

His uniform was ripped open on his chest, revealing the bloody 'HA' that mocked him from his own flesh. His skin was covered with various cuts and bruises. Blood mingled with sweat and smeared across his skin. Joker had most likely fractured his right shoulder, and broken several ribs with his favorite little crowbar.

"Same old." Robin said, shaking the question off. "What about you?"

"He didn't. He let Harley get me, Artemis, and Megan. It was… awful." The rebellious spark Robin had grown to love in her eyes had been replaced by pure and utter fear. It made Robin shudder, and he had to look away.

"Robin?" she asked, her eyes not looking at him, but up at the blank wall as if imagining her own death. Her voice was shaky. Her palms trembled, but whether it was from fear, hunger, of blood loss was unclear.

"Yeah?" He tried to remain calm, but the unmistakable shake in his voice was still ever-present.

"Please tell me you have a plan."

_**Zatanna's PoV**_

"Please tell me you have a plan." She wanted so much to embrace him, so much to hug him and cry into his shoulder. But she couldn't. She couldn't move a damn muscle.

"Batman." He said after thinking for a moment. "Batman is always my backup plan."

_Then why isn't he here yet?_ She wanted to ask, but she didn't. Robin needed to believe that Batman would be here. He needed the last hope his mentor would always come rescue him. And although Zatanna doubted him, she couldn't just tear away the last piece of hope he clung to.

"Robin?" she asked again. She was about ready to burst, and she knew she was about to let it all out.

"Yeah, Zatanna?" he responded, his voice equally broken.

"I'm scared!" she began sobbing. She muttered a spell and suddenly was untied. Her sobs paused, but continued as she ran over to Robin, muttering the spell again and releasing Robin. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, refusing to let him go.

"Zatanna!" Robin exclaimed. We're…. we're…. free!" he had to stop himself from shouting and wooping for joy. He couldn't risk Joker finding out. He knew there were no security cameras, he'd already checked.

She continued to sob, although she knew she had just single handedly freed both of them.

"Zatanna, listen to me." He pulled her off of him, just so he could look her in the eye. Glancing at Super Boy, he reached up and pulled his mask off. She was so shocked she couldn't hold back the gasp. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, more beautiful than hers by far.

But the serious tone to his voice and the firm grip he had on her shoulders quickly pulled her attention back to his words.

"We're going to sneak out of here. We're going to get Super Boy out of here first. You need to take him and get to safety. If I don't make it out, bring the League." He said. She was amazed at how calm he was, how firm his tone was in this situation. "Bring Batman." His voice cracked suddenly, and Zatanna noticed.

She nodded, sniffling away the last of her tears. She went to Super Boy, untying him as well. Robin quickly got the kryptonite as far away from him as possible, and Super Boy began to awaken. She didn't notice when he positioned the mask back on his face. When she turned around, all she saw was him, winking and pressing his finger to his lips as if to say 'shhh'.

"Super Boy? Wake up. We're busting out of here." Robin said, a small smirk playing at his lips when he heard the clone snort.

He threw Super Boy's arm over his shoulder and Zatanna grabbed the other arm.

"Zatanna?" Robin asked. "Can you do that thing where you make more than one of us?" Robin asked. She nodded shakily, before murmuring another spell.

Suddenly another one of all three of them appeared.

"Other… us." Robin said, a small confused smirk playing at his lips. "You need to find Joker and distract him **and **Harley long enough for us to get Super Boy and Zatanna out. Okay?" Without a word the little replicas went off into the hall way, in search of the Joker.

"Alright then," Robin said. "Let's get the hell out of here."


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok so I know I promised sooner updates, I also know I lied. But I have a good excuse! **

**Well, you know how those annoying little storms sometimes come along and then all the sudden your power is out? Well mine just so happened to go out the day I finished this stupid chapter. Don't you hate it when that happens? I will honestly try to hurry the hell up with my updates though. **

**Anyway, on to more important matters… DID YOU GUYS SEE IMPULSE? I was like 'IMPULSE! THAT'S IMPULSE! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY GOT IMPULSE!' and then I calmed down. But just barely. Should've known he had something up his sleeve before I went all fan girl on it. **

**Anyway, I yet again find myself wasting computer screen space. Review, please I will love you, blah blah blah. I don't own this. Tear. **

**Oh, and this is also kind of in the past, it's like a large flashback, starting right after last chapter. I'll just tell you when it goes back to normal. Okay?**

Batman's PoV

Six days.

It had been six days since anyone had heard from the team.

_I knew I shouldn't have sent them._ He kept thinking. _This was my fault. I should've known Joker was too much for them. _

"Master Bruce," the British butler hadn't surprised the Dark Knight, not by any means. But his wise voice had pulled him out of his thoughts, causing an involuntary flinch. "The League has called."

"And you gave them the normal excuse right?" Bruce asked, too busy and occupied right now to deal with the League's normal crap.

"I did, sir, but Superman insisted you go to the Cave immediately. He mentioned news about the children, specifically Master Dick." Alfred said. His voice seemed a bit scared, yet also hopeful. He knew Batman would find his ward.

He had to.

Before he knew it, Batman had gotten up and headed for the Zeta tubes.

"Don't wait up." Were his final words as the familiar bright light swept him to an entirely different location.

Roy's PoV

"What is taking him so long?" Asked Roy Harper. He was pacing around the large room of the mountain hideaway, his strides long and nervous.

"Roy," Black Canary stated simply, as if hearing his name would magically make him behave.

"Shut up. I do not want to hear it." Roy said, rage bubbling up inside of him. How could she sit here and give him excuses when there was an unseen video tape in the Man of Steel's hands with possible evidence of where the Team was located?

"Roy,-"

"_Red. Arrow."_ He growled fiercely, setting Superman slightly aback.

"Red Arrow," he corrected himself reluctantly, anxious to keep everything calm until Batman arrived. "Batman, I'm sure, is on his-"

He was yet again interrupted, but by the computer announcing the bat's arrival. Before he even had a chance to begin talking again, Batman was on the couch, attempting to make the TV play the video.

He sighed, and followed the rest of the League gathering around the playing video.

Joker's sick face appeared on the screen, a little too close for anyone's comfort. Batman was _this_ close to releasing a growl.

"Hey there, Batsy!" Joker screamed, delighted. "It seems you have misplaced a few things, but that's okay! I found them for you!" The camera moved away from Joker's sickly white face onto an image of two sleeping teens.

One was moaning as if he was just barely clinging to consciousness, the other was completely passed out. Both had bloody marks all over their bodies. The girl's shirt was ripped open, revealing her bra and bloody marks everywhere.

The zoom on the camera activated, and the faces of the young heroes were revealed.

Zatanna and Robin.

"That bastard has my daughter!" Zatara screamed, jumping up from his place on the couch.

Roy almost face palmed. It's not like this was new information. They had known it was Joker all along. And they had known Zatanna had been on the mission. Although he understood the man's concern, he really wanted to slap him.

"I caught these two kids trying to run off. Little scamps!" Joker roughly slapped Robin across the face, forcing his head to slump back into unconsciousness. "Don't worry though. They're safe here with their Uncle Jay!" his grin seemed to grow, if that was even possible.

"Puddin', show 'em what you did when you caught 'em!" Harley's voice sounded from right behind the camera.

_Of course. Even Joker couldn't pull all of this off by himself. _Roy thought.

"Oh! Right!" the camera went down, along with Joker's face, to Robin's left ankle. The foot hung loosely, like a single item in a bloody bag. Batman jumped up, attempting to punch the screen, as if it would do anything.

Thankfully, Flash beat him to it, standing in the way and taking the hero's extreme punch. Immediately reclaiming his stone cold demeanor, he mumbled a sorry and sat back down, Flash following as he rubbed his now sore jaw.

Humph. Roy was amazed. _Who knew the God damned Batman could lose his cool._

He felt like he'd just witnessed a miracle.

Until that maniacal voice again filled his ears.

"Little Robbie stepped in a bear trap Uncle Jay 'accidentally' left lying around! Poor kid." Joker said, stroking Robin's black locks out of his face. "You'd be proud, Bats. He stayed in the game six and a half hours without caving. Impressive. But annoying."

_Oh god._ Roy thought. _What good could possibly come from Joker being annoyed._

Suddenly, Robin's head jerked to attention. He quickly took in his surroundings, assessing the situation before Joker could knock him out again. He looked straight at the camera and began screaming things so fast Roy could hardly understand.

"Warehouse district, Gotham, outside the river. South, between warehouses 13 and,-" His sentence was cut short with a quick blow to the face. He did not, however, fall unconscious. His head merely slipped to the side and he spit out some blood.

He looked back at Joker, who was glaring him down. Although, one could hardly count it as a glare because he was still smiling. He smirked slightly, giving a small huff before finishing his sentence.

"And warehouse 18." He said. Joker stomped on his left foot, twisting and contorting the already broken limb, forcing a cry of pain to escape the young boy's throat.

"Well, Batman, I guess that's your hint for this week's abduction! I'll see you later. Maybe your little bird won't though!" his laughter filled the screen, remaining even after it turned to static.

The laughter seemed to linger, even moments after the screen turned off.

"When did you get this?" Batman asked.

"About an hour ago." Roy replied. Somehow, Joker had gotten it to Chesire who had personally delivered it to Red Arrow.

He'd called the League, hoping to only show it to Batman, but Superman had confiscated the damn thing before he'd even gotten the chance. This was why he left the League.

"I'll continue the investigation further, and keep you posted." Every gaze in the room turned to Roy, who was expected to roar up in pure anger and disrespect, ranting about how he was the one who got the video and he should be allowed to help.

But he remained silent.

He heard a few gasps, sarcastic of course.

"You are not to interfere." Batman ordered before walking out.

Everyone slowly left until it was only Roy. And Black Canary. Of course.

"Roy, I know that look." Yes. Because you're part of the Justice League. You know everything.

"What look?" he played innocent. For now.

"You stay out of Batman's way." She jabbed a finger in his chest. "He just needs to do his work. He is perfectly capable of finding the ki- Team _without_ your help." She concluded, stepping back and crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for his response.

"Ok." He turned and began walking away. He knew she didn't buy it. None of them did. But he didn't need them to. He'd find the Team, he already knew how to.

Chesire.

**WOAH! Didn't see that coming. Just kidding, it was kind of predictable. Sorry about that. **

**Well, it was kind of an awkward chapter, because it had almost nothing to progress on, but it will get there. If you be patient, I swear it might be worth it. :-) **

**If you review, I will bake you virtual cookies! By the way, thanks to all of those who favorite/story alert added! I love you guys! And I'm glad you like my story! Haha. **


	7. Chapter 7

**So, I've made it a personal challenge to start updating sooner. Starting in two weeks. Sorry guys, I'm going out of town tomorrow and the only internet I'll have is my phone. I'll be sure to write while I'm away so that I can super update when I get back though! **

**And boo! No more summer episodes! D: **

**Batgirl's PoV**

Barbara Gordon was _not_ happy. Pulled out of psychology class so that she could rush over to the Bat-Cave, change into her Batgirl costume, only for Bruce to be late.

Again, Barbara Gordon was not happy.

"Barbara." She heard that deep, monotone voice behind her, and was so tempted to turn around with a snarky remark. But then she remembered how serious the situation was.

Or how serious she'd guessed it was.

It was a pretty good guess though, considering it was the middle of the day, on a Wednesday, when he could've easily called Robin and then vouched for him. But he called her. Either Robin was, for some reason, highly unavailable, or Batman had a job only for a girl.

"Bruce." Barbara replied curtly. "What's up? I'm missing school, and my dad's going to kill me."

"I need your help." He said.

"Well yeah. I didn't think you'd ring the _emergency Bat-pager_ if you wanted to take me out to lunch." Barbara said, a small grin on her face. Oh, if only Dick were here.

"Robin and his new team have been kidnapped." He said simply.

Shocked, Barbara went straight to business. The jokes and thoughts of 'if Dick were here' immediately vanished. The childish expression washed off of her face as if someone had slapped it off. "Where are we starting?"

"Their last coordinates show that they had split up and gone separate directions. The last known locations are on your map." He explained. Even Batman was in a hurry. This must be serious. Scary serious. "I'm assigning you the farthest East ones. I'll take the west. We meet where Robin and Kid Flash were taken and compare notes." Without anything but a nod from Batgirl, Batman headed to the Batmobile.

_Great. Now I've got to grapple way east of here and start looking for everyone BUT Robin. _Barbara thought.

The sun had sunk below the depths of the clouds long ago. _It must be tired. _Barbara thought. _I know I am._ She'd been searching for hours on end, not overlooking any small detail. Her cowl had night vision, so she didn't have to stop.

Which was good, because it was well after eleven o'clock, and the only light outside was the street lights, which, in this part of town, thugs liked to take out. Most prefer to do drug deals in the dark, especially if they're not official or daring enough to break into a run down ware house.

She'd seen the place where Artemis and Miss Martian were last, and had scavenged every little detail. Batman would be furious if she did anything but.

All she'd found were blood splatters (Archer Girl's, no doubt) and burn marks on the cement. A few broken and used trick arrows, and some tipped over trash cans had been scattered about; all the basic signs of a struggle.

She was now waiting for Batman to arrive where Robin and Wally had been taken. It was a small alley way, a small blood stain on the ground and some more burn marks. These ones had probably come from Robin's exploding disks if anything.

The one thing that she didn't see was the Joker's gift box hidden away in the shadows. She tripped over it, and found herself crashing to the ground.

The small box was covered in green and purple striped wrapping paper, with a light green ribbon tied in a bow on top.

She walked up, inspecting it from all different angles before gingerly removing the lid. Inside there was nothing but a small device. It could've been anything. It looked like a small walkie-talkie.

"Batgirl, get out of there!" Batman's voice rang out through the silence, frantic and out of breath.

Before she could react, a large explosion sent darkness crawling into her brain before she felt her spine wrap itself around a telephone pole and then everything was gone.

The last thing she heard was Batman, screaming her name and begging her to wake up.

**Sorry if this chapter was kind of rushed, I'm just already thinking about the next chapter. :D **

**Heads up, we go back to the maze in the next chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Yes! Two chapters in one week! Aren't you guys lucky! That is totally a record for me. I bet you guys are happy. And, bad news for me but good for you, my drains are all clogged up. Therefore, we aren't leaving until Tuesday! So, I've already ranted about Young Justice…. So I'm going to just get on with it….**

**Disclaimer: Seriously? Yes. I forgot last chapter. Oh well. I don't own any characters, all belong to Cartoon Network or DC Comics or Warner Bros. Or all three. I don't honestly know which one…**

**Robin's PoV**

**Present**

Alone, limping through the maze that one of the Dynamic Duo's greatest enemies had set up for him, looking for his civilian best friend who was currently in an unknown death trap?

Not how Richard Grayson pictured his week turning out.

But he needed to find her. She would die. The clock was almost up, and they'd already lost Aqua Lad.

_Don't think about it!_ He mentally scolded himself. The Atlantean's pale eyes, practically begging him to save him. He shook the thought away. He needed to stay focused. No one else would die because he was too slow.

He wanted to sprint to Batgirl, save her, and then leave and never come back. It was times like this he really wished Batman _wouldn't _trust him. He could really use some back up.

"Dude!" Wally yelled as he sped up behind him.

_Speaking of…_ Dick thought as his injured friend limped to a stop beside him.

"Do you even know where you're going? What if it's a trap?" Wally screamed.

"KF, this whole damn thing is a trap! We are all just pawns in Joker's sick game!" Robin stopped abruptly and turned to yell at his friend. "I can't rely on Batman! We don't have the time!" he motioned towards the clock, who's bright red numbers glowed menacingly through the dark.

"When that clock strikes zero, this whole room is going to fill up with laughing gas and we are _all going to __**die!**_ Unless I can get us all out of here in time."

Silently, Wally limped alongside his friend, knowing Robin's words were true. But, there was something Robin hadn't considered.

"Rob?" Wally asked, unsure how to put his next words.

"Yeah?" Robin replied, almost bitterly.

"The second voice. Don't tell me you didn't recognize it." Kid Flash was abnormally serious. It was a rare occasion Robin saw his friend in such a state, and he knew exactly what Wally was getting at.

"I did."

"Well, aren't we going to save him?"

"He'd want us to save her first."

"But,-"

"Just don't distract me. If you're coming with than you need to help, not ask questions."

Silence. Again.

How could this have happened? He'd proven his mentor wrong, again. Batman had known they weren't ready for this. He'd known, but why hadn't he come yet? Joker had let them know every single day at midnight. And, if Robin's math was correct (it always was. **Always.**) than they'd been here just over a week.

Hadn't anyone noticed they were gone? Why wasn't anyone coming for them?

"Robin!" he heard her scream. He jerked his head up. His thoughts could wait for later.

Barbara Gordon sat there, in her Batgirl costume, tied to a metal folding chair. Her body was so broken and beaten Robin barely recognized her.

Her shoulder had obviously been popped out of place, and there was a large gash underneath her left eye. Her shirt had been ripped off and she'd been left in nothing but her skirt. She was crying heavily, and the gag that had previously been in her mouth she had spit out so she could properly call out to her friend.

Her body was occasionally convulsing, and she was trying a little too hard to force words out. "P-p-pois-son…" she said, shakily. "H-he p-poisoned me." She said.

"Oh Robbie! You found Bat-brat number two!" Joker said, laughing over the speakers. "I'll give you a hint! The antidote is just around the corner!"

Without thinking, Wally and Robin sped around the corner, but unlike Robin, Kid Flash tried to continue until he ran right into Robin's arm.

"KF!" Robin screamed. Wally stopped, looking at his best friend. Before them, a small hall way in the giant maze ended with a table with a small vial on it. Obviously, the antidote was in there. There weren't any booby traps. Why did Robin stop him? They had three minutes left.

Meaning; no time to waste on stopping.

"What?" KF said. "It's right there!" he motioned his arm towards the vial full of purple liquid.

Without a word, Robin ripped a part of his cape off. Wadding it up, he tossed it carelessly on the floor and watched it dissolve into a slimy, steaming heap.

"He coated the floor with acid…" KF realized.

"If you give me a boost, I can swing on that light up there. He motioned toward the small, single light bulb that hung loosely from a pipe in the ceiling. "I'll grab it and toss it back to you."

Robin lifted his bare feet up, waiting for Kid to loop his fingers together. He swung on the light, knowing the string would collapse under his weight. Joker set it up.

He just barely landed on the table, watching the light dissolve on the floor. Turning, Kid Flash looked shocked. Robin picked up the vial, tossed it back to his friend, and started shouting instructions.

"Give this to her, poor it _slowly _down her throat. _**All**_ of it. Untie her and take her back to the team." He commanded, looking for a way to get across the acid.

"What about you?"

"I've got to go find Batman."

**Oh! Another cliff hanger! I'm horrible XD **

**So I figured, since my trip was post poned I might as well give you the gift of another chapter. Especially because if I was busy writing, I wouldn't have to help fix the stupid drain. Ew.**

_**IMPORTANT:**_** Reviews are appreciated. So is favorites and all that fun stuff! But I love hearing your feedback, and ideas on where I should go with this. Especially the torture, because it's hard to be original with that. I love all you guys! **

**And sorry if this was a little rushed or not as good as the beginning or anything like that. I started it at about 2:00 this morning and fell asleep writing it. Heh… **


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok! Back from my longer than usual vacation! Who knew Chicago could be so fun? Everyone. And if you don't you need to find out. Soon. **

**A ****HUGE**** thank you to **Alex Skywalker**! I freaking loved your review! I actually wrote this chapter right after reading your review, but lack of internet, blah blah blah, you've heard it all before. I'm so glad you liked it, and thanks! **

**Also, thank you to GGCharms! This girl… she inspires me sometimes! Haha thank you for listening to me complain like all the time. **

**Disclaimer: I refuse to state I don't own Young Justice, Justice League, or any associated characters. Despite the absolute truth of it. D:**

"Dude! You can't go by yourself!" Kid Flash screamed over the large area that was the acid floor. If only Artemis could see the cliché…

"Well I'm the only one who can!" Robin shouted back, leaping from the table to where he presumed was a safe distance from the acid. "Everyone else is either too injured or wouldn't know what to do. The best person would probably be Artemis, and she's too hurt. You're trapped on the other side of this acid. I need to save him, and I've got two minutes left." Robin concluded.

Silent understanding passed between the two, not the awkward kind of silence, but the kind two best friends share when they don't need words to communicate. Kid Flash understood Robin's reasoning, and Robin understood KF's worry. That didn't change the fact Robin had to go alone.

"Just don't get yourself killed. And get back to us as soon as he's okay, alright?" Kid Flash said sadly.

Robin nodded, a light and curt nod that one could only see if they were looking closely. Then both turned to do what they had to; KF to cure and rescue Batgirl, Robin to find and rescue Batman.

Now that he was alone, he had nothing to occupy his mind. And the terrifying image of those pale, dying eyes continuously wandered back into his mind's eyes. He'd been hanging from the wall by his hands, much like a cross. He was slowly suffocating to death, all Robin had to do was get the nails out…

It was so simple. How could he not get it right? Aqua Lad's pleading last breaths were in vein, forever ringing in Robin's ears. Robin had never sat there and watched one of his friends die, knowing he could've done something.

His parents were different. He couldn't have done anything. He'd come to realize that several years ago. And though he still missed them, it wouldn't be the same.

_**Flashback**_

"_Robin, h-h-hel-" _

"_Shh, Kaldur. I'm going to help you. Just stay calm. Breathe. C'mon, Aqualad, breathe!" Robin tried desperately to save his friend, desperately to calm him and keep him alive._

_No one had died yet. How could Robin screw up so bad? He gave up looking for the hammer, deciding to just pull the nails out with his fingers instead. Aqualad wouldn't care for the severe injuries in his hands, later if he was alive. _

_There would be a later. _

_Aqualad would live. _

_Those pale grey eyes just stared at him, his lungs still trying desperately to fill with air. Robin pulled and yanked at the nails. By the time he'd gotten one out though, it had been too late._

_He hopefully looked back to the leader of his team, to the older teen; his friend. He realized he'd been too late. The intense silver gaze that had often encouraged Robin, and led the entire team through many hardships, had lost all its life, and now sat gazing at Robin, as if blaming him for his own death. _

_Robin sat for a moment, staring back at his dead friend. His cheeks had been sliced and mutilated into a permanent smile. Realizing he didn't have the time to mourn properly, he shakily reached up and closed the Atlantean's eyes._

_**End Flashback**_

Robin had finally come across the end of the maze, he finally saw the door with the glowing red EXIT sign hovering above it.

And off to the side, he saw another sight that made him shiver and tremble. A tall, dark figure lay on a metal table, one that often would be used in a slaughter house. His cowl had been ripped up, only barely hanging on his face any more. He had several stab wounds, including a huge gash in his side, a cut going from the corner of his eye down to his lower neck, and a stab in his thigh.

Robin remembered that an artery lay below the area that was heavily bleeding. He immediately rushed over to where his mentor lay, unconscious on the metal, bloody table. He began applying pressure, murmuring to his mentor things to wake him up.

"Batman? It's Robin, you need to get up." He paused. "Batman, please, wake up!" Pause. "I can't carry you like this! Wake up!" Pause. He felt his heart rate slowly rising, and he began praying that Bruce would hear him and wake up.

Suddenly, he had this urge. He wanted to be home. He wanted to be back at the manor with Alfred and Bruce, eating Alfred's cookies and playing basket ball with Bruce. He wanted to go down to the Batcave, investigating with Bruce and Barbara. He wanted everything to be normal again.

But he wasn't. And he had things to do here.

"Bruce," he whispered, his voice shakier than he'd wanted it to be. He knew no one had heard him, except maybe Conner, but he didn't care if Conner heard him.

He reached one hand up from the wound to feel his mentor's pulse, and he almost cried when he didn't feel one. Not knowing what else to do, he began hyperventilating. He had never panicked this much, not once in his life.

"BATMAN! WAKE! UP!" he shouted. "GET UP AND HELP ME!" he screamed, he was full on crying now. He started slapping his mentor's face, hoping it would wake him up. "Why won't you wake up? Why can't you hear me!"

"Oh, Robbie-poo, are you mad that the big, bad bat isn't here for you?" Joker's taunting voice boomed in Robin's ears. Now was not the time. "Don't be sad, bird boy. You've still got your friends."

"SHUT UP, JOKER!" Robin shouted, angry through the tears. "HE'LL BE FINE! YOU'RE GOING TO JAIL, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

He started pounding on Batman's chest, counting. Then, he breathed into his mouth, listened for breath, and started over again. "Face it, Boy Blunder, you were too late. You could've saved him, if you were fast enough."

"No!" Robin shouted. "No. No. No. _No._" His voice had become a pleading whisper, not something Robin would've said, but something a frightened child would've said.

And then, there he was. The sick man who'd caused all his pain. He was just there. He just _appeared._ His smile was plastered on his face just like always. Robin hadn't seen him since he'd locked him in the damned maze.

And now he just stood there, as if waiting for Robin to viciously strangle him, as if he thought Robin wouldn't do it.

But the last several days flashed before his eyes, the death of his friend, the apparent death of his mentor, the beatings, the torture, the almost escape, the recapture, the rescuing his friends, everything. And a surge of anger swelled up inside him, and unexplainable surge of anger. One that he couldn't control.

He forgot every bit of training he'd spent years trying to memorize in a situation like this, and the fight was on.

**Okay, next chapter will probably be a flashback, to fill in some of the blanks I left open. No worries though, I will come back to this. I won't leave you hanging guys. Promise. **

**By the way, is anyone else totally excited for the Dark Knight Rises? I am. Had to put that out there. I heard Bruce Wayne dies…? Leave your opinions on that in the reviews. Poll of the day. Haha. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Ah! Please don't hate me! I apologize for taking forever to update. I'm terrible to you guys. Thanks for hanging in there though! **

**Special thanks (again) to **Alex Skywalker** and **GGCharms **because **Alex's **review has yet again made my day. I also enjoyed reading your insight on the Dark Knight Rises, which I am totally thrilled to see. I have midnight premier tickets :D **

**And GGCharms…. There are no words to describe this one. Haha. First, and best, friend on FanFiction, so go you. ;P**

**This chapter is continuing from last chapter, however you should let me know if the next chapter should be a flash back to finding everyone else in the maze, or what. Also, any questions I might not have answered yet. Feel free to ask them. The last thing I want to do is leave you hanging. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own, blah, blah, blah.**

"Who's Bruce?" Conner asked as Wally helped Artemis limp through the many turns and pathways of the maze. The rest of the team had to limp for themselves, without the support of an also limping speedster.

Conner, who was still weak, had tried to help M'gann, but had only fallen. The kryptonite wasn't entirely worn off yet, his muscles, that were usually like weightless steel strapped to his body, now screamed to let him sit down, and rest. His wounds had already begun healing, no bruises or scratches marred his tanned skin anymore.

Wally's body went rigid, although no one noticed except Conner, and maybe Artemis. Although, judging by how she was barely holding onto consciousness Conner highly doubted she cared, even if she had noticed.

"Where'd you hear Bruce?" Wally asked through gritted teeth as Artemis' body slumped further onto his own, adding that much more weight to his already injured body. His rapid healing was helping, just as Conner's. He had reset his left leg, and the healing process had begun.

However, unlike Conner, the soreness that made his muscles creak, the bruises that made any move burn, the blood loss that should've caused him to pass out by now; none of that went away. But he couldn't think about that.

"I heard Robin, he whispered it. Really quiet, even I could barely hear it. Who is it?" Conner asked. He was now supporting Miss Martian, ever so slightly. His strength was coming back faster than Wally's.

"You must have been hearing things, Supes." Wally lied. "I don't know anyone named Bruce."

As of right now, he was the only conscious one who even had a slight idea of what to do. Robin would probably blame himself if something happened to anyone, even though it would totally be Wally's fault. He was busy saving Batman, Kaldur was dead, Wally had to take care of the remainder of the team.

"Conner, can't you help Batgirl or something?" Wally asked. Batgirl, who couldn't stand and had passed out on several occasions during their ten minute (maybe) walk, was leaning entirely on Zatanna, who also could barely walk. It was surprising that they hadn't resorted to crawling yet.

"No!" Conner growled. "M'gann needs my help!"

"Conner, I can take care of myself!" M'gann almost screamed. "I don't need you to carry me, I can fly!"

"If you can fly, why can't you just levitate us?" Zatanna asked.

"Can't you use a spell to levitate us?" mumbled before passing out again.

"I need to help M'gann!"

"Guys!" Wally screamed, silencing everyone. Artemis moaned in pain, her sound coming out more of a quiet squeal. "Superboy can carry Batgirl, Miss Martian can fly and levitate Zatanna, and I'll carry Artemis!"

Everyone stared at Wally. They rarely saw his serious side, and when they did it was usually about something such as science, or him providing the answer no one else knew about some fatal disease or volcano; as the case may be. Right now, he was taking leadership, although he was the last one expected to do so.

"Everyone just shut up so we can find and save Robin! Kaldur's gone, Rob's busy. I don't see anyone else in charge. We do not need to be fighting, we need to find a way to help." Wally commanded. "We are going to have to get over the acid floor. Any ideas?"

**Flashback**

The night air was crisp, something he'd always loved about Star. There was a slight breeze, and the sky was cloudless. He'd been in Gotham for a while, a clear night sky was like a fairy tale there. He'd missed it.

But, alas, he was not here to relish in the amazing night sky, or the non-polluted air. He was here for one reason.

Chesire.

Although the assassin could usually evade capture from the League, Roy wasn't the League. He also had a more than confusing relationship with her. She'd told him at one point that if he ever _'needed'_ her, to come here.

_Here_ was an abandoned warehouse, on the outskirts of Star City. She had to be here. He wasn't done getting information from her.

He'd been sitting on a rooftop across the street, waiting for about two hours. He didn't know what for, probably to make sure he wasn't walking right into a trap. He straightened out, imagining how badass he probably looked, and smirked as he shot a grapple arrow across the street so he landed right in front of the door.

Instinctively notching an arrow, he cautiously entered. Although Roy felt the urge to call out her name, he didn't. She was a highly trained assassin and probably knew he was here before he even walked in.

"Hey, Red." Her voice echoed out, not giving away her location but letting him know she was there. Great. This would be absolutely wonderful.

"Jade, we need to talk." Her small giggle on frustrated him more. "Damn it, Jade! Now!" he nearly yelled. This was life or death. Literally.

"Let me guess, Hero," she said. Her voice was smooth, like a cat purring. "You want me to tell you where your side kick friends are?"

Red resisted the urge to state how they were not sidekicks, and instead confirmed her statement. "They could be dying." He said.

"Well why should I care?" She said carelessly, causing Red Arrow to grind his teeth. "That's one less thing for me to worry about."

"Jade, you can torment me about it later. Just tell me now." Roy pleaded. He had begun pacing the warehouse, looking around every corner as her voice bounced off the giant room. The only thing in the warehouse other than the two were several piles of scrap metal, what appeared to be pipes. This must have been a metal shipping warehouse or something.

All the stock was rusted, old. There were small fragments of metal littering the floor, a welder and plasma cutter of professional proportions lined an entire wall. Red observed each of these things in his fruitless search for the assassin.

"I'd rather torment you now." Jade said seductively. It was right behind him now. Slightly startled, he turned around as fast as possible, only to have his lips smack right into an upside down assassin.

"Jade, the… entire team…. Is with Joker!" He said in between kisses. But once he'd said that, Jade stopped, leaping down from her perch. She slipped on her mask, hiding her face from Roy.

She'd told him once that if he could hide his face, why couldn't she hide hers? He couldn't help but think that slightly ironic, given what she was about to say.

"The whole team?" she asked.

"Yes. Tell me where they are." Roy demanded. Her tone hinted at a deadly undertone. She meant business.

"Come with me." She announced. And just as rapidly as she had appeared, she was gone, leaving the door swinging behind her. Roy ran out, putting away his arrow and slinging his bow over his shoulder.

He saw her silhouette waiting for him atop the rooftop across the street, and just like that she was leading him through Star, searching for the lost Team and missing Batfamily.

**Okay, so I lied about the flashback part. Truth is, I started this update this morning, took a break to watch Batman Begins and eat a popsicle, because I'm really weird and that's what I do, and decided to browse the reviews. Then I remembered I'd involved Roy and had completely forgotten about it! **

**So, thank you, READINGhearts17 for reminding me that Roy is in fact in this story. **

**Question of the day: Who makes better movies: Kevin Fiege of MARVEL, or Geoff Johns of DC? My friend and I have gotten into a heated discussion about it, and he claims he could make a better movie than Geoff Johns just because he didn't like Green Lantern. Therefore, I've left it up to the wise people of Fan Fiction :P **

**REVIEW! Please(: **


	11. Chapter 11

**New Update! Lucky you, but only slightly. Here, allow me to elaborate. **

**This morning I got my wisdom teeth out, so I've been bed ridden all day and with not being able to draw, my phone being dead, and the video games not in my bedroom, I decided to try my hand at writing. The bad part is, I'm rather high on pain medication, so the chapter may not be nearly as good as you expect. I'm sorry. **

**But, this will be the last flashback, because I think I tied up a majority of the loose ends. If I left anything open please PM me or review and let me know. Other than that, I'm pretty much done with Chapter long flashbacks after this one.**

**Zatanna's PoV**

Super Boy was actually not that heavy, just about as heavy as a normal sixteen year old boy should be. Which was odd, considering her could pick up a bus without a problem. He'd barely begun to wake up, and was trying to walk on his own now, although he was rather unsuccessful and still need Zatanna and Robin's help.

Robin, surprisingly, seemed to know almost exactly where he was going. They'd exited the room and Robin had begun barking instructions.

"Go left into that hallway." He said. His confidence made Zee slightly less nervous about they're little escapade.

They'd turned down a long hallway, and the slight patter of her own bare feet against the cold, concrete floor was the only sound for a long time. Super Boy was just dragging along, slowing their pace that much more.

Not that she was complaining. She felt bad enough that they were leaving the others here. Or at least, she was. Robin claimed to be coming back for them.

As they made a final turn, under Robin's instructions of course, Zatanna couldn't believe her eyes. She'd never been so happy to see a red exit sign in her entire life.

She was about to drop Super Boy and rush to the door, her excitement to be out conquering her guilt of leaving the rest of her team behind. She almost screamed, she wanted to dance and jump and run out there, go find her dad, go home, and heal.

But, of course, Robin stopped. "Zee, stop." He muttered, so quietly she barely caught it.

She turned to look at him. They were literally _so_ close. How could he want to stop now?

"Why?" she whispered. He stared at the door, as if it were going to come to life and eat them all. Seeing the whites of his mask shrink, as though he was squinting, she couldn't help but to picture his eyes.

His _real_ eyes. She wondered if she was the only one on the team who knew what they really looked like. She'd always kind of figured Wally knew who he really was, but she didn't know if they actually hung out outside the hero world. They made him look so young, even with that serious glint to them, they looked so innocent.

They fit his face perfectly, and although she knew thinking about Robin and how perfect his face looked without his mask on, she really had other things to worry about at the moment.

"It's booby trapped." He said simply, after a good five minutes.

"So we can't leave?" Zatanna's voice was supposed to sound like a slightly deflated whisper, not the whimper of a child who'd just been delivered some sort of terrible news.

"No, just give me a minute." He whispered. He slipped out from under Super Boy and reached up to right beneath the exit sign. He began to fiddle with the wires, and the door knob began to spark uncontrollably for a moment. Robin turned around and walked back, sliding under Super Boy again and then kicking the door down.

"Go!" he almost shouted. Apparently, any thought of sneaking out was out the door. But that's okay, because so were they.

For someone who hated the outside, Zatanna had never been more happy to be outside in her life.

They were outside, and it was night time. The moon was huge, and the smells of a dirty Gotham drifting to her nose. They were in a large maze of abandoned looking warehouse. Out to her left, Gotham Harbor shined in the moonlight like a glistening diamond. She could feel wind blowing slightly on her face, and she savored it.

It was more beautiful than she could ever imagine.

"Hold on, kiddies!"

She literally felt her heart stop, or drop, or both. It felt like it had just frozen and sunken to the bottom of her stomach. She felt the urge to run away, but looking around again, she realized they were surrounded.

"Damn it." Robin muttered quietly. He turned to face the clown, and Zatanna thought she was going to puke. She'd been so close; _they'd_ been so close. She had felt a breeze, she had seen the moon, she had smelt the outdoors. And now they were being escorted back into the warehouse.

"Your little clones didn't do a very good job, Boy Blunder." Joker laughed from behind her, making her noticeably wince. But hey, when wasn't Joker laughing. "I came up and hit one with a crow bar, and they just exploded. Not nearly as fun as the real thing!"

Zatanna felt a crow bar slam into the back of her head. She cried out, falling to the ground, a barely conscious Super Boy falling on top of her, and Robin being pulled down on top of both of them.

"Joker, shut up." Robin muttered.

"What was that, Robbie?" Joker smacked him with the crowbar, a little too harshly for Zatanna's taste. She just kept picturing Robin's baby blue orbs, staring into her, full of pain.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image, as she was yanked off the ground and pulled away from her friends.

Guess she'd gotten her hopes up for nothing.

**Okay, so I started this last night, fell asleep, got up this morning, and finished it. I have yet to take any medicine today, so I'm hoping it's not THAT bad, however my jaw is killing me so I'm going to go take some and not read it over. **

**Question of the update, which is a more appropriate term than question of the day: Who thinks there will be any hint of Robin in the Dark Knight Rises? I have heard there will be, and I have heard there definitely will not be. Also, who do you think played Batman better, Christian Bale, Adam West, Michael Keaton, etc.? **

**Review please! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, onto the fight with Robin and the Joker. But before I get really into it and all that, I'd like to say that my heart goes out to all those involved in the midnight premier shooting in Colorado. It was a horrible thing to happen. I went to the midnight premier maybe one town over. It could have easily been me. **

**And I updated for two reasons. Well three, if you count the joy of updating. 1) because several of the stories I follow updated today, and it put me in a good mood. 2) because I quickly read the chapters, and hoped that I could inspire other authors to update much like I, myself, was inspired this morning. So, do the world a favor (and by world I mean people like me who read way too fast and then get bored) and update your stories. That's my message of the day. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own. **

Anger pulsed through his body like a surge of electricity, over powering the pain from his many, many, injuries and aiming every punch as though it would make everyone okay again. Right hook, jab, left hook, upper cut, jab, sweep kick, tackle, punch, punch.

"What's the matter, Robbie?" Joker said. "Are you mad that I killed Daddy Bats? Ha!" Joker laughed, as his body curved and wiggled away from Robin's punches and jabs.

"Shut up!" Robin shouted, tears blurring his vision, and slightly messing up his aim.

"You should have heard the way he screamed in pain, Boy Blunder! It would've made you _smile_." His smile widened, and his face grew diabolical. He laughed as he dodged yet another wave of attacks, yet not attacking himself.

"He won't die! I won't let him!" Robin said, landing a solid punch that made a sickening crack out of Joker's jaw. Yet, he still smiled.

Robin didn't even notice he was crying, not until he felt his mask's glue begin to peel away due to the tears. He sniffled, pausing slightly to press the mask on tighter.

"Hey Robbie, guess what?" Joker said, his hand grabbing Robin around the throat and holding him so he could not move.

"What?" Robin ground out between escape attempts.

"I killed the Batman! I killed the Batman!" Joker chanted, releasing Robin and skipping in a circle around him.

Robin collapsed on the floor, the sad truth sinking in. Batman was dead. His mentor, his older brother, _Bruce_. **(1)** He panted lightly, the crushing feeling of defeat pushing down on his chest.

"You'll pay for this, Joker." He whispered, his voice raspy as he was trying his hardest not to burst into tears. He stared down at the ground, opening his eyes, then shutting them tightly. Joker danced around, until he heard the faint whisper from the boy.

"What's that, lamb chop? You'll have to speak up." He smiled again, leaning down close to Robin's face.

_The cave floor was cold underneath Dick as his back slammed down on it, once again defeated by Bruce. _

"_You'll have to do better than that, Dick. You can't hesitate out there. You think Killer Croc won't rip you to shreds so you can say something witty?" Bruce scolded gently. He reached his hand down to allow his ward up, so they could spar again._

_Dick smirked. He hadn't lost yet. _

_He swung his legs around the floor, successfully knocking Bruce flat on his ass. Shocked, the billionaire froze for a split second too long, allowing Robin the steal his staff. He slammed a foot down on his chest and held the staff down at his mentor's throat. _

" '_You'll have to do better than that, Bruce.' " Dick taunted, putting a grin on not only his face, but Bruce's and Alfred's, who was sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the two to finish and come to dinner. _

The memory suddenly came to Robin, and he quickly did the same to Joker. The man lay on the ground, beneath Robin's bare foot. With the speed of Kid Flash, he reached down, pulling the switch blade he knew Joker kept in his coat pocket out and opening it.

He knelt down on top of Joker, pinning both his arms beneath his knees. Clenching his fist around his tie, he leaned his face in to close that his could smell the terrible perfume the clown wore, and he pulled the switch blade up to his throat.

Joker's bloody, broken face coughed for a moment, spitting out a small amount of blood to the side. He looked back at the small boy sitting upon him, the smile on his face bigger than ever.

"Do it, Bird Boy. Make Batsy proud." Joker laughed, tilting his head back so as to make his jugular stick out slightly more.

"Rob!" Robin looked up to see his team, exiting the maze. Kid Flash, holding an unconscious archer, looked shocked. "Drop it, man! He's not worth it!" he shouted.

"I can't drop it, KF." Robin whispered, his anger melting away. His cerulean gaze flickered over to his dead mentor, and tears stung his vision once more. As they gently spilled over, trailing down his cheeks, his mask yet again began to peel off. He looked down, his grip on the knife tightening until his knuckles were white. "I can't."

KF, knowing Joker couldn't see Rob's face, gently laid Artemis down, sprinting as fast as he could in his condition, and punched the clown in the face, sending him spiraling into unconsciousness.

He paused, looking down at his friend. He hadn't seen the boy so upset since the day they met; right after the murder of his family. It was upsetting. And, just like then, he didn't know how to comfort him.

Robin felt the mask come completely off, and he saw it land droopily on the floor, crumpling gently as tears silently fell on it. He released his grip on Joker's tie, and the switch blade. He felt Wally's hand gently touch his shoulder, whether it was because he was unsure of how to console the boy or because he was fearful of previous injury to the shoulder Robin was unsure.

He got up, still staring at Joker, and walked towards his mentor's fallen body. He never made it, collapsing into a shuddering heap on the way, his bright baby blues glazed over with tears. He fell to his knees.

It just snapped; that string inside all people that stretches slightly more when more stress is added. He had been overloaded, he couldn't handle it anymore. His body shivered, but he didn't know why. He wasn't sobbing, or crying. He was simply sitting there, staring at the ground.

Joker had officially broken him. He'd taken it for years, the beatings and mental stress. But Joker had never killed someone so close, so iconic to Robin.

He felt strong arms wrap around him, not trying to move him, but to comfort him. He squeezed his eyes shut, pretending it was Bruce who used to hold him like this in the days after his family's murder.

"It's okay, Dick. It's okay." Roy. How the hell did Roy get here? He didn't really care. He wanted everything to be okay again, and right now Roy was the only one who could make it okay. He was barely aware of Chesire and Wally caring for Artemis across the room, or Megan and Super Boy examining Batman's broken body.

"It's okay." He kept murmuring.

"No, Roy. It's _not_ okay!" He abruptly shouted. He yanked himself out of Red Arrow's grip and ran to Batman's body. Every eye lingered on him, some amazed at the beauty of his long hidden eyes, some shocked at his outburst.

"Rob, -"

"Don't start!" He shouted, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation. He almost choked on the amount of air he was trying to swallow, and the room began to spin around him. "There is nothing about any of this that is _okay._ Two people died here! It's my fault! I should have been able to escape, I should have been faster, I was trained-"

"This isn't your fault, Dick." Wally said calmly.

"Yes it is! Our leader is dead! How can you not be mad about that?" His face seemed to only get wetter, as tears made their way down his cheeks. His eyes shined, especially in a midst of his untamed, ebony hair. "Kaldur was counting on me! You couldn't see the look on his face when he died! You weren't there! This isn't anyone's fault but mine! I've dealt with Joker before, I know his game! I should have been able to save you all!"

"Robin,-"

"And Batman… He's… There was… I could've…" he stuttered on, feeling more like a lost child than ever.

"Robin, I understand. Everything will be okay, I promise." Wally said, stepping forward slightly, only to be stopped by another angry outburst from the broken Boy Wonder.

"No, Wally! You don't understand! Nothing will be okay! Batman was the only family I had left! You have an entire house of people waiting for you at home! I had Batman, and now he's gone. Where the hell am I supposed to go? No where! I should've saved him. He died trying to save us," suddenly, he paused. His angry eyes and appearance broke, and he crumpled back to the ground. "Why couldn't I save him?" he whispered.

"Robin?" Megan asked, floating up to him and gently placing a hand on his shoulders. She knelt down, wrapping one arm around his frail, shivering body.

"What?" he asked, his voice sad and pathetic.

"Batman is still alive."

**Okay, longer chapter, kind of. I think it's a bit longer than my other chapters? Anyway, I am not very good at action scenes, but I think I did okay on his little break down there. I don't know, this whole chapter was a real bitch to write. I hated it, honestly. **

**I don't really have a question of the day… awkward. I really want to go on about The Dark Knight Rises, but I know some people have yet to see it, and I do NOT want to give spoilers. **

**Here's a question: I have been really into Traught/RobArt for a while now, and I've been really tempted to write a fic about it. However, I'm not exactly good at romance, and it's kind of awkward. How many of you would read it? **

**Okay. I'm done. Review pretty please with cherries on top. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Go me! Quicker updates than normal! Yes…**

**Okay, so this ramble could be of importance. I was reading over the last chapter and realized I put one of those little 1 things and then did not explain it. My bad, allow me to do so now. **

"Robin collapsed on the floor, the sad truth sinking in. Batman was dead. His mentor, his older brother, _Bruce_. **(1)" **

**Well personally, I can't stand it when people have Robin call Batman **_**daddy**_** or something like that. I happen to believe that in the comics, Bruce was more of an older brother figure than a father one, as stated by the creator of Robin during some interview thing. So that's my reasoning for that. **

**Also, I was asked how Roy showed up randomly in the last chapter, which I will get to. In this chapter. Like now.**

**Disclaimer: again? Really?**

The rank scents of Gotham seemed to be intensified while on the rooftops, and although the view was beautiful, with the moon barely visible through the clouds, like a reflection in the murky waters of Gotham pier, Roy wished he had a gas mask or something.

Following a cat through the dead of night in search of a bird, definitely not how Roy thought he'd be spending the evening. He had a plan, and the Jade messed it all up.

Go in, find the location, leave, save the team.

Easy.

But no, Chesire just had to come along. He wasn't complaining. In fact, he was slowing her down by the looks of it.

_Wait, where'd she go?_ He thought as he squinted through the darkness for the villainess. Great. Now he'd lost her. Damn it.

"Here we are, hero." She said, strolling out of the shadows as though she did this every day, swaying her hips and probably knowing Roy's eyes were following them with every step.

But now wasn't the time.

"How do we get in? What if Joker booby trapped it or something?" He asked, notching an arrow, just in case.

"The same way I got in last time." She said, pausing to watch Roy's curious and confused glance. "You didn't think he just _gave_ me that tape did he?" that annoying tone she used was back, that tone that meant she was smirking underneath her mask.

"Wait, you stole the tape, and didn't save the Team?" he asked, bewildered.

She paused before replying, examining her glove-clad nails through the mask. "Well, when you told me to go find him, he seemed pretty fixated on that tape. And you know me, I just couldn't keep my hands to myself." She clenched her fist, flicking her wrist as she did so, and in that moment, she reminded Roy so much of Catwoman.

"So you just went and checked it out? You didn't get any actual information?" Roy's angry tone was only slightly harsher than he'd intended, but he didn't really care as he followed the assassin across the rooftop.

"Whatever. You asked for the location, and I got it. The tape was a present. You found me before I could watch it myself though." She shrugged as though it were the silliest thing in the world. "Now, keep quiet, hero." She whispered, her voice suddenly in his ear. It almost made him want to smile.

But now was _really_ not the time.

She tapped a button on her mask, before peering into a window upside down, her rear end up in the air. _Of course_.

After declaring the room safe, she slid the window open and silently crawled in, Roy right behind her.

He saw walls, at least ten feet high each. Easy to climb, especially for someone like Robin. Why were they still here? The room's lighting was incredibly dim, and he had to squint until his eyes adjusted. The brightest thing in the room was the clock that was counting down from somewhere around one minute.

Probably a bomb.

Probably a _time_ bomb.

Off in the distance, almost directly to his left, he could hear fighting and shouting. And then he heard Wally's voice, shouting at Robin for something. He left Chesire behind, crawling along the rafters towards the sounds.

He saw Robin, just as he collapsed and his mask fell to the floor at his knees as he cried with no one to console him. Joker lay unconscious about ten feet away, and that's when Roy took his cue to jump down.

Ignoring the shocked looks from the rest of the team Red Arrow sprinted over and engulfed the small boy in a tight hug. He didn't look at Roy, and Roy didn't look at him.

"It's okay," He murmurs quietly, trying to quiet the young teen. He doesn't know why he says it, he knows it isn't okay. If it's been enough to make the young bird break for even a second, things won't be okay in the morning. "It's okay, Dick."

_**About thirty seconds later**_

**Robin's PoV**

"_Batman is still alive." _

His eyes widened in shock, the pupils shrinking until there was only blue it seemed. Completely dumbfounded, he could only mutter a sort of 'Huh?' noise with his throat. He couldn't decide whether or not Megan was lying.

"I'm getting mental readings from him, his mind is still alive. I tried to communicate with him, but I can't seem to keep him long enough." She explained, slowly, making sure Robin wouldn't have another breakdown.

"But, there's no pulse, no heartbeat…" Robin trailed, trying to keep his reasons together. "He wasn't breathing."

"Maybe a serum Joker gave him, or a pill or something?" Wally suggested, his voice encouraging Megan, who seemed to be able to calm Robin down extremely well.

"Well, whatever it is, we need to get everyone out of here right now. That clock is probably hooked up to a bomb-"

"It's a timer. But not to a bomb." Robin quickly mumbled. "Our thirty minutes are up." He stared down at his feet again. This mission was a failure.

He felt a frail hand lean on his shoulder, and looked up into the eyes of his long time best friend, Barbara Gordon. She leaned on him, pressing her arm into his back.

"We need to get to a hospital." She said seriously, until a small, sad smirk lit her features ever so slightly. "Or Alfred. You know how he gets about this stuff." To which Robin couldn't suppress a small laugh, so small Barbara could barely feel his lungs move as he breathed in the laugh.

"Alfred." Robin said, picking up Batman by the shoulders, Red Arrow firing an explosive arrow at the door before them before rushing to help them.

"Woah, buddy, you're still too weak for this." He said, although he knew Robin wouldn't release his mentor.

**Please ignore the sloppy ending to this chapter. I became distracted by my friend sending me multiple pictures of the most adorable puppies ever, and then I totally lost my touch. However, my urge to get the chapter up today overcame that and yeah. Voila. **

**Question of the update: should I make a sequel which could be like how the team deals with the trauma of this experience, or should I just call it good? **

**Also, to those of you who are interested, I am posting a RobArt/Traught fic and although I already have it written and typed up, I can't think of a clever title that I like. It's between The Bird and the Archer, Totally Not Traught, and I'm still open to suggestions because I don't like those that much. So please, help me out here. **


	14. Chapter 14

**HEY! Long time, kind of. I apologize for the wait, but it appears my basement has been ransacked by spiders, and I've been defending myself. I happen to be deathly afraid of spiders. DX **

**It's okay though! We sprayed pesticide today. Go us. **

**Anyway, I go back to school tomorrow, which means I probably won't be updating for a while. That makes me kind of sad, not only because I hate school (as most teenagers do) but because I really wanted to finish this story before the end of summer. Which, obviously, I won't. It is close to the end though, not even gonna lie about it. Still considering a sequel… I don't know.**

**Disclaimer: blah. I hate this part. It adds to my already rather long AN. I don't own. **

The atmosphere was unbearable, stiff and suffocating. The medical wing of Mount Justice had was now more populated than the rest of the entire mountain, the only ones daring to leave were Black Canary and a few other league members.

Robin just stared at the wall, unblinking. He hadn't moved since he sat down, other than drooping slightly onto Roy. He trembled every now and then, and hadn't even flinched when Black Canary had covered him with a blanket.

He'd felt empty when his parents died. Not sad, or devastated, but devastatingly empty. His heart had felt as though there was a hand reaching into his chest and squeezing it, just waiting for it to pop like an overfilled water balloon.

And he hadn't felt that way since.

Until now.

Of course, he'd always feared that one day Bruce would go out on patrol only to never return again, and of course he'd known it was possible for the both of them. But the feeling had never seemed so real, or so possible. This time was different from all the other times Bruce had been hurt.

Bruce wasn't awake this time, and he'd never been so still. The vision of Batman just lying on the table, his body bloody and contorted, burned the back of Robin's eye lids every time he closed his eyes. Dick had never thought of Bruce in such a _vulnerable_ way. He'd never felt the urge to protect him in such a way before.

He'd really thought Bruce was dead this time. What would happen to him if Bruce were to die? What if he didn't make it this time? Would he ever get to talk to him again?

_Stoppit! _He thought. _He __**will**__ make it out. He's the god damned Batman. _But no matter what, his mind always drifted back to those thoughts, those questions.

Thankfully, Dr. Thompkins stepped through the white door, her face tired and old; but familiar. Robin couldn't forget that it was familiar. He jumped from his seat, wincing slightly on his ankle, but otherwise fine.

As she opened her mouth, Robin felt his heart drop. He couldn't help but expect the worse. There had been so much blood, and as he glanced down at his bare palms, he realized it was all over him. Mentally shivering, he focused his attention back on the good doctor.

Her white scrubs were coated in a thin layer of Bruce's blood, which in itself turned Robin's blood cold. Her grey hair was falling out of its bun, loose strands falling down her face, framing it. Her eyes were gentle, and she had a small hint of a smile. Her muscles, though old and worn out, were tense and rigid.

"Robin, can you please step out with me." She asked politely. Without even waiting for a response, she turned to leave, knowing he'd be right behind her.

She waited in the mission room patiently for Robin to stop in front of her. When he arrived, she was fiddling with the holographic computers, pulling up screens and typing things in before pulling up a different screen.

"Dr. Thopmkins?" Robin said, his voice strong, and she hadn't expected anything less. Robin was fierce, strong, brave. He never wanted someone to see him weak, and in that way he was just like Bruce.

"Dick," she said, barely pausing to look at him. "Bruce's vitals are below dangerously normal, I think you know that. I've put him into a medically induced coma, and I'm working on a cure for the toxin Joker pumped into his system." She spoke professionally, knowing Dick could not only handle it, but he wouldn't freak out about it.

He was quiet, trying to process the new information she had bestowed upon him. It weighed on him, the feeling of having so many questions without knowing of how to word them. He wanted to know so much, the urge to know more about this overwhelming him. But he couldn't morph his thoughts into words, he couldn't say exactly what he meant.

"Do you know how long it will take?" he asked, looking straight at her. He wouldn't falter, not right now. "To generate a cure, I mean?"

She paused slightly, contemplating her next words. She had to be very careful not to send him the wrong message. "No, I don't." she said hesitantly, still not sure how to say it. "It's a… very complicated toxin. I don't know how Joker got hold of it, or how he managed to keep Bruce alive for this long with it running through him. It looks like just a random mix of chemicals, but I know it's not."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked, afraid he already knew the answer.

"I mean, I don't want to get your hopes up Robin." She said, turning away from her work and placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, wary of any possible injuries. "I don't know if I'll have the cure in time, and I don't know if I can even make one." The boy's face fell significantly, only so he could try to pick it up quickly, replacing his strong façade.

"Oh." He muttered quietly, his gaze not directed at her, but lost in the distance.

"But," she said quietly, pulling his chin to direct it back at her. "You know I'll try my hardest." She gave him a fond smile, one of the most sincere he'd received since he'd arrived back at the cave.

He mustered a small smile, which was also sincere.

"Now, I think it would be a good idea for you to get some medical attention yourself." She said, glancing as his blood soaked uniform.

"No, you should go back to looking for the cure." He assured her, glancing at the holo-screens still floating in the middle of the room. "I'm fine, I swear." He swatted at her hands which were probing his face and shoulders.

"Nope. I have the computer working on a cure, sitting here staring at it isn't going to make it go any faster." She said, with a bright smile. "Come on, I have a feeling your friends need some help too."

She grabbed Robin's hand, pulling him along behind her as she walked back to the med bay to bandage him up.

**Yay! Really, disappointingly short chapter! Be happy. I most certainly am. **

**Like I said, my school starts tomorrow, so updates will take a little longer. Although, I'm not exactly famous for updating at a fast pace…**

**Anyway! Question of the update, same as last one. Although, now that I know where I'm going for sure, it's a much more serious question this time. Should I write a sequel to this story? Either another actual story with some sort of plot, or a small sequel about how the team copes with the trauma of this whole experience. So I shall rephrase my question:**

**Which kind of sequel shall I write? Review/PM your answer, because it determines the ending of this story. **

**Also, realizing I haven't done this in a while: THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWERS, FOLLOWERS, AND FAVORITE-ERS(?)! I seriously love you guys, simply because you make my day, and I love you. I don't think I've said I love you enough, so yet again, I LOVE YOU. **

**REVIEW KINDLY :D **


	15. Chapter 15

**HEY! Good news, kind of. Last chapter! So… do with that what you will. Anyway, since it's the last chapter I figure I'll say a couple things (like answer the reviews as I've been meaning to do since I started this story) -_- Just recent ones, because I am not going through all the reviews. Far too lazy, sorry. **

Alex Skywalker: **Thanks! Seriously, thanks. I also dislike the whole 'daddy' thing that a lot of authors do, its so… out of character. I don't know, just hate it. Anyway, Yes. I like your idea for the sequel, and was planning on doing something along those lines.**

Nightingale: **Oh I'm so glad I can make your day! (: Ha! I really like angsty stuff too! I had actually considered adding her, but I don't know yet. **

Guest that reads:** I love the username by the way ;) And I know! But it's so fun to write! And read, honestly. Poor Robin. **

Lakeshine: **I will make a sequel! I have decided. :D Keep your eye out for it. **

GGCharms: **Yes… surprises are my thing. I love cliff hangers *evil smile* Ha! Anywho, since you have provided me with ideas throughout this entire story (and several others) your thank you is extremely special. So, thank you. See how special that was? **

READINGhearts17: **I know! I hate school. It's okay though, only a few years left…. -_-**

Shadowtail43: **Not stupid idea… I actually like it and may or may not use it in the sequel… *hint hint* **

**THERE! Done. Anyway, thank you to everyone who stuck with it from the beginning, or whenever you started reading. First story, I was extremely nervous that no one would like it. And now it's done, so I really appreciate everything. Thanks guys! **

**ALSO! Just a heads up, I listened to some music to get me in the mood to write this, so it was Never Too Late by Three Days Grace in the beginning, and Here Without You by 3 Doors Down for the ending.**

**Disclaimer: I don't feel like it, but I don't own and it makes me sad. D: **

The light and constant beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the almost empty hospital room for a while, neither of its two awake occupants knowing quite what to say.

Near silence had never been his favorite sound, he was known for saying the wrong things at the wrong times. But in a situation like this, even Wally West couldn't bear to ruin the silence. He needed to gather his thoughts, much alike the archer who stood beside him.

Robin's face was peaceful, content even. The two heroes hadn't seen their friend like this in a long time. Black Canary said the large group of vigilantes had been missing for almost a month. Wally couldn't help but wonder what his friend was dreaming about; perhaps a time before all of this. Before the hero gig, when it was him and Batman. Or maybe just him and his parents. Who knew?

"What do you think?" Artemis said, her voice low, husky, and regretful. He couldn't help but be slightly shocked at her tone, he'd never heard her sound regretful. Sorry, maybe once or twice, but _regretful?_ Never. That wasn't like her.

"About what?" he asked, his own tone surprising him slightly. He had less control of his own voice than he thought.

"Don't act like you don't know." She said, looking from the still, sleeping form to the confused speedster. "Do you think they'll find a cure in time?" she asked, her eyes making their way to the floor, her voice quieter, as though she were afraid Robin's subconscious would hear her.

Wally's eye brows slowly raised as he contemplated this. He'd been thinking about it for a good while, wondering what would happen to his best friend if the Bat _didn't_ make it out. Despite his constant efforts to comfort himself in order to comfort his friend, he couldn't keep that horrible, dreadful thought out of his mind.

_What if they can't find a cure in time?_

He knew better than most that science isn't as easy as just putting a toxin into a computer and immediately getting a cure out the other side. One had to isolate the toxin, analyze it's molecular structure, and find a weakness. There was a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo that Wally tried to keep in the very back of his mind, and mostly succeeded.

"I don't know." He confessed. He sighed, trying to find the right words for his thoughts. Now was a moment one didn't want to say the wrong thing. "I mean, it's been going for days now, and we haven't even isolated the toxin. I think the only one who can cure Batman is-"

"Batman." Artemis finished. They both knew it was true. Batman would have been the only one with enough experience with the Joker and his chemicals, methods, and antics to have been able to even guess the toxin, let alone cure it.

"Don't get me wrong, Artemis, I want Batman to make it more than anyone here… besides Rob of course… But I just don't know if it's possible."

He sighed, running a lightly bandaged hand through his hair and looking back at the archer, a sad tone to his spunky, green eyes.

Her own eyes seemed strained; tired and lost. She had spent more time thinking about this than she was letting on, and everyone knew it.

"What would happen?" she asked, her own voice cutting her off before she could properly ask the question. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued. "Ya know, if they can't?"

"You mean, to Rob?" Wally asked, his face drooping significantly. He hadn't wanted to think of that.

"Yeah. To Dick." She whispered his name, as thought it tasted wrong on her tongue. She would always prefer Robin.

"I don't know that either." Wally admitted. "Batman's the only family he's got left. Without him, I guess the League would decide what to do with him." He had to think about this. Where would Dick go? His uncle was still in a coma, and Alfred was far too old to be taking care of a boy Dick's age. He'd probably be lost soon too…

"Oh."

The silence once again filled the room. It was sort of funny, the way that things would get if it was too quiet. It was as though the silence was _so_ quiet, that it was actually screaming in your ears. You're just so used to it you never hear what it's trying to say.

Wally contemplated this. What if the answer to all these new problems was screaming at them, and they just couldn't see it? What if they just had to take a step back, not analyze every detail but look at the problem as a whole?

Maybe he was dwelling on it too much. Or maybe not enough…

"What do you think now?" Artemis saved him from his own loop of depressing thoughts.

"Same thing I thought five seconds ago?" he said, looking at her, confused.

"Not what I meant, Kid Mouth." She asked, trying desperately to lighten the mood slightly. "I mean about the rest of the team."

"Will they get over it?" he asked.

"Yes."

He thought about this. Would they? Some members were stronger than others, but some weren't. Some couldn't take the stress. But how far would it push them? Some, like M'gann or Zatanna, could completely lose it.

But some, some of the stronger members, such as Artemis and Conner, would shove it to the back of their subconscious, letting it eat away at their sanity until the pressure became too much and they burst.

"I think some of us will recover." He answered, knowing that she'd ask more, though praying she wouldn't.

"And the rest of us?" she asked, wanting more of his vague answer.

"I don't know." He said for the third time that night.

"What do you know?"

"I know that we could all use some rest if we're ever going to try." He said, turning to her, away from the wall he'd been leaning on. He limped his way out of the med bay, back to his own room down the hall. He was so miserable on those crutches, he'd refused to use them and preferred just limping on his heavily casted leg.

She sighed, looking back at Robin once more, before following his lead to her own welcoming bed.

The cave was dark, all except for the streak of blonde hair that seemed to glow through the dark as a golden waterfall as a certain archer crept her way through the Cave. Although defying Dr. Thompkins', who insisted on being called Leslie, orders to let Robin rest, she had to see him.

She'd awaken in the middle of the night from a horrible nightmare. From the psychic presence in her mind, she wasn't the only one who feeling nightmares. She quickly got up, unable to go back to sleep.

She'd felt the need to check on the Boy Wonder, making sure he was okay. He had been in a medically induced coma since _Leslie_ had checked him over, finding more wounds and problems than Artemis cared to remember. Just the thought sent shivers up her spine.

She swore up and down that the boy was the most stubborn person she'd ever meet, insisting he was fine despite the long list of injuries and only wanting to be there when Batman woke up.

She reached the door, first coming across the room Batman was being held in. It was strange, seeing the epitome of fear laying battered and broken in a hospital bed.

_Leslie_ had removed the black armor that heavily layered the hero's chest, bandaging a serious wound on his lower, right side abdomen. The pure white of the gauze was lightly speckled with blood, the bleeding only recently stopping.

His cowl had been removed, revealing jet black hair, just like Robin's. And, just like Robin, he wore shades to protect his identity, despite everyone having already seen Robin's and easily figured out Batman's.

It was more of a respect thing, really. They respected the Dynamic Duo too much to admit they all knew. They would continue to call them Batman and Robin, rather than Dick and Bruce. It was who they all knew, the cowl and the mask, rather than the sparkling blue eyes and the deep brown ones.

She lightly pressed her hand to the window, the one not in a thin cast. _That_ would seriously put a damper on her current hero activities. There's no way she could shoot an arrow with one arm. She glanced down at it briefly, before sighing deeply and continuing down the hall towards the Boy Wonder's hospital room.

As she rounded the corner, pressing her thumb against the finger plate and waiting for the door to slide open, she expected to see the still sleeping form of a small, battered boy, one of her best friends, being the only other non-meta on the team, sleeping with a peaceful look on his face.

However, that was not the sight that greeted her.

She saw bloody hand cuffs, hanging loosely from the railing of the hospital bed. The sheets were crumpled across the bed, as though they had been quickly thrown off.

Her eyes went wide, and she froze. She knew she had no chance of finding him. The only one who could find him was Batman, and he was currently in a coma. There was no way to find a Bat-kid who didn't want to be found.

She ran back, checking again in Batman's room. _How had he woken up?_ They'd given him enough sedatives to down an elephant. How had he managed to shake it off?

_Training. _Batman must've trained the kid well. So well it had become an instinct, that even in his groggy, drugged state, he could still maneuver his way out of a top security medical facility owned by _THE_ Justice League.

He wasn't there. What should she do? She panicked, but only for a moment. What if Robin was panicking? What if he had woken up to a nightmare, just like her, and not remembered where he was? He had seen an opportunity to 'escape' and had taken it.

But where had he gone? They hadn't taken his gloves, or his utility belt. He was a fully stocked weapon of justice who may or may not still believe he is being held captive by one of the most psychopathic creeps in all of Gotham.

"Black Canary!" She screamed, turning away from Batman's room and sprinting down the hall, towards where she knew their den mother slept when she was needed at the cave during the night. "BLACK CANARY!" No response.

"**BLACK CANARY!" **nothing. She continued sprinting towards Dinah's room, ignoring the few of her sleepless team mates who actually heard her.

"_**BLACK CANARY!" **_She screamed with all her will power. Finally, the blonde hero heard her and came rushing out of her room, wearing a grey hoodie and a pair of shorts. She still lookd tired, but alert nonetheless.

"What?! What is it?!" she asked, looking around frantically.

"Robin's gone."

"_Robin's gone."_

Robin could see the whole thing. He could see Black Canary's eyes widen in either shock or horror (it was hard to tell from the very top of the ceilings in Mount Justice). He saw the team, and the few who were present who weren't actually part of the team, (Batgirl, Red Arrow, etc.) begin to panic, searching for him in a frenzy.

Little did they know all they had to do was look up.

The ceilings here were not nearly as secretive as the ceilings at the Batcave. They didn't shelter several hundred bats, and didn't hold darkness capable of sheltering him from possible prying eyes.

All a team mate would have to do was look up and he'd be discovered. He couldn't have that. He'd have to wait until they were all gone to make his move.

There were only two ways out, the Zeta tube and the hangar, neither of which could be operated stealthily without confirmation from a Leaguer. Which he couldn't get.

He waited for the right moment, when M'gann had decided to take a small squad out and search around the mountain for him in the Bio-ship. As soon as the hangar opened, he'd made his escape, sliding down his line and landing in the furthest corner, where the shadows were darkest. As the ship flew over him, he leapt out, landing in a bush on the outside of the hangar doors.

He breathed deeply, taking in the fresh air of Happy Harbor. It wasn't Gotham, which is where he needed to go. Lucky for him, he'd been trained by the best, and he knew the best kept a few caches hidden around ever Justice League base for both himself and his protégé.

He quickly found the apartment complex in which Dick Grayson's penthouse awaited. He swung in, undetected by all the members who might have been outside during the night. Changing into civilian clothes, he left again, going out the back and checking in, saying Bruce had sent him up here to visit a friend.

After he'd gotten all that taken care of, he went back up to his suite, and waited for morning to come.

Waiting around the cave wouldn't save Bruce, but he knew what would. He'd been awake during Wally and Artemis' little 'chat' and he wasn't going to let that happen.

He would save Bruce, he had to.

And he knew just how to do it.

**THE END! How was THAT for a last chapter? I am a little if-y on the end, but I like how it turned out.**

**What do you think? Good place to pick up on the sequel that I'm going to write someday? I say someday because I should already be in bed because I'm going four wheeling tomorrow, plus I'm kind of booked for the whole weekend. **

**I will try to get it in relatively soon though, I'll probably call it Into The Depths, or something along those lines. I actually really like that name, so I'll probably go with that. **

**Review kindly please, last chapter. Again, thank you to all who stuck with me when I took FOREVER to update. You guys are seriously awesome. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! Just saying, I uploaded the sequel to this story! Go me. I'm proud of myself.**

**It's called **_**Into the Madhouse**_**, in case you were wondering. So check it out, I have an evil diabolical plan for this one! ;D **


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